Persuasion tactic on terror plan criticised
Gordon Brown was accused last night of using the police as a political tool in
his efforts to win support for proposals to detain terror suspects without
charge for up to 42 days.
Trying to persuade Labour MPs to drop their opposition, Tony McNulty, the Home
Office Minister, set up a briefing with Bob Quick, the Metropolitan Police’s
Assistant Commissioner of Specialist Operations, so they could “hear the
views of the police on the operational practicalities which have led them to
support the proposal”. But David Davis, the Shadow Home Secretary, said that
there was no single police view.
Charles Clarke, the former Home Secretary, has added his voice to those
calling on Mr Brown to drop the measure.
Campaign for lower limit on abortion
Nadine Dorries, the Conservative MP for Mid Bedfordshire, has begun a campaign
to ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy (Helen Nugent writes). She has
tabled an amendment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill to reduce
the legal limit from 24 weeks. The Bill reaches the House of Commons on
Monday.
Ms Dorries claimed that Britain would become the “abortion capital of the
world” unless action was taken to curtail the number of terminations. “We
must slow down on abortion,” she said.
Her campaign began hours after Ann Keen, Junior Health Minister, told MPs that
only 12 per cent of babies born below 24 weeks survived beyond their first
birthday.
Iraq soldier was unlawfully killed
A soldier who was blown up by a roadside bomb in Iraq was killed unlawfully, a
coroner has ruled.
Lieutenant Richard Palmer, 27, who served with the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards,
was killed on a routine mission near Basra in 2006. Andrew Walker, assistant
deputy coroner of Oxfordshire, apologised to the soldier's family for the
length of time the inquest took. At the request of the Ministry of Defence
some evidence was heard in chambers as it included details of how the bomb
was made.
Few care homes earn new three-star rating
The Commission for Social Care Inspection awarded no stars to 731 care homes
in England that failed to meet minimum standards of safety and comfort under
a new rating system introduced today. Inspectors making unannounced visits
found that 5,848 homes were “adequate”, just meeting basic standards. They
got one star. Only 3,168 (13 per cent) of the 24,370 residential homes were
awarded three stars, the top mark. The largest group (56 per cent) was
judged good and awarded two stars.
A full list of homes and their star ratings
can be found on www.csci.org.uk.
Unnecessary advert volume to be capped
Viewers will no longer have to turn the volume down during advertising breaks
under new rules announced today. Television adverts must not be excessively
noisy or strident under the regulations published by the Broadcast Committee
of Advertising Practice (BCAP). The rules, which come into force in July,
were prompted by more than 100 complaints that adverts were louder than
programmes.
Television companies claim that there is a technical explanation for “loud”
adverts. A BCAP spokesman said: “We were acutely aware of the frustration
that excessively loud ads were causing consumers.”
Malaria pill censure
The medicines safety watchdog has reprimanded Neal’s Yard Remedies for selling
a homoeopathic substance that purports to prevent and treat malaria. The
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority stopped sales of
Malaria Officinalis 30c, which was “intended to be viewed as a treatment or
preventive for malaria”. The company denied selling it to prevent malaria.
£31m flood award
Communities that were hit by flooding last summer are to receive an extra £31
million to help them to rebuild. The money will come from the EU Solidarity
Fund and is on top of the £88 million already provided by the Government.
Local authorities will be consulted on how the funds are distributed.
Hottest day of year
Yesterday was the hottest day of the year so far with a high of 22.9C (73F)
recorded in Crosby, Merseyside. Temperatures are expected to rise to 25C by
the weekend. Helen Chivers, spokeswoman for the Met Office, said: “There has
been sunshine across a lot of the country and most places have at least
reached temperatures in the high teens - the average for this time of year
is 15 or 16 degrees.”
Cannabis upgraded
Cannabis is to be upgraded to a Class B drug, the Home Secretary will say
today. Jacqui Smith will defend her decision to overrule official advice by
arguing that the Government must take into account the wider implications of
cannabis use rather than purely the scientific evidence.
Father tortured sons
A 47-year-old father described by a judge at Bradford Crown Court as a
sadistic madman was jailed for nine years for torturing his two sons by
putting safety pins through their lips and cutting their mouths with scalpel
blades between September 2003 and February 2005. The boys' mother, 41, was
sentenced to six years in jail after she was convicted of cruelty by failing
to protect her sons.
HIV baby hopes
Almost 99 per cent of babies born to HIV-infected mothers will escape the
virus if precautions are taken early enough, research suggests. The largest
study of mother-to-child HIV transmission, carried out in London, found that
if antenatal HIV tests are conducted early enough, the use of
anti-retroviral therapy could make the risk of infecting the baby very low,
the researchers said.
Tamil Tiger arrest
A 51-year-old became the fourth man to be arrested as part of an
anti-terrorism investigation into the Sri Lankan rebel group the Tamil
Tigers. The man, who was arrested near Swindon, Wiltshire, is being held at
a London police station on suspicion of the commission, preparation or
instigation of acts of terrorism.
Roof fall boss jailed
A roofing company boss was jailed for ten months at Swansea Crown Court after
admitting the manslaughter of a teenage worker who plunged through a
superstore roof.
Roy Clark, 50, of North Eastern Roofing, told the court that he was “haunted
by the responsibility he bears” for the death of Daniel Dennis, 17, from
Pyle, Bridgend, South Wales, in April 2003.
Drug smugglers jailed
A couple were caught importing Class C drugs when a neighbour's child ripped
open one of their illicit parcels, Newport Crown Court was told. Gareth
Jones, 47, and Patricia Chubb, 44, made thousands of pounds from importing
diazepam tablets from Sri Lanka to their home in the Rhondda, South Wales,
and selling them on. Jones was sentenced to 3½ years.
Drive to kill moths
The public has been asked to help to stamp out the oak processionary moth,
which damages oak trees and can harm human health, by reporting sightings of
its caterpillars and nests to the Forestry Commission. The commission is
trying to eradicate the moth from the west and southwest of London. The moth
moves about in trees and on the ground in long nose-to-tail processions.
Downloading hit
Coldplay's new single has been downloaded free by two million people since it
was put online. Violet Hill was made available as a free download last
Tuesday, but was hit initially by technical glitches. A band spokesman said:
“In the past seven days the single has been downloaded free by a staggering
two million people. “It would have outsold the whole of last week's Top 40
four times over.”
Archive forgeries
Eight historians have called for an official report on the planting of 29
forged documents in the National Archives. The historians, who include Sir
Ian Kershaw, have written to the Financial Times saying that as the
Crown Prosecution Service has decided not to pursue the case, a report would
be in the public interest.
Criminal on holiday
A judge at Gloucester Crown Court has been criticised for allowing a man
convicted of assaulting a police officer to go on a golfing holiday when he
was supposed to be under a curfew. Judge Martin Picton allowed Lee Jones,
24, from Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, to go to Portugal. Ian Anderson, from
the Police Federation, said: “The only people smiling about this will be the
criminals.”
Police stations hit by thieves
Humberside Police has recorded 90 thefts from its stations over five years.
The stolen items include uniforms, stab vests and exhibits belonging to the
Crown. Most were taken from secure areas and only four of the crimes have
been solved.
Child fight caution
A man arrested after footage of two 12-year-old boys being goaded to fight
each other was posted on YouTube has received a police caution. The unnamed
21-year-old was arrested in March after the film, Lethal Fight (Crawley),
appeared on the site. It is believed to have been shot in a bedroom in
Crawley, West Sussex. Police said that the two boys have been identified and
are safe and well.
Pubs ban for football star
A teenage footballer who has already played for England under-19s has been
banned from pubs after an alleged street fight. The Norwich City striker
Chris Martin, 19, has been barred from bars in Beccles, Southwold and
Bungay, Suffolk.
Surgeon tackles non-stop hiccups
A singer who has been hiccuping non-stop for 15 months is to have keyhole
surgery after a damaged stomach valve was diagnosed. Christopher Sands, 24,
from Lincoln, said: “I'm pinning all my hopes on this operation. I want my
life back.”
